


heard that you like the bad girls

by freedomatsea



Series: a messy situation [5]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-12-07 01:35:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18228137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freedomatsea/pseuds/freedomatsea
Summary: Rio shows up at the bake sale. (part 5 of 'a messy situation')





	heard that you like the bad girls

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter did not go how I had planned at all. I worked on it all day while I was doing stuff around town and the more I wrote, the more I just let the muses go where they wanted to. Yay for a new episode tonight!

“How’s it looking?” Annie questioned as she plopped down in the chair beside Beth at the table. “Are we rolling in the Gs?” She opened the bag of brownies and shoved a piece of one into her mouth. 

Beth gave her laptop a once over. “Looks like we’ve reached just under eight hundred thousand in three hours.” She gave her sister a satisfied grin. “With another six hours we’re set to reach our goal.” She reached over and grabbed a brownie out of the bag. “What did I tell you about eating the merchandise?” She teased. 

“We’d be rolling double that if these had a secret ingredient.” Annie quipped. “Speaking of baking, Ruby went to pick up the next batch of lemon bars for table two.” 

“They’ve been our best seller.” Beth noted as she clicked through the point of sale system she had pulled up on her laptop screen. “No surprise there.” 

“Rio’s lucky he ended up with us.” Annie said in between bites. “Who else could clear over a million dollars in baked goods in a single day?” 

Beth smirked proudly, sitting up a little straighter in her seat. “And not raise a single eyebrow of suspicion.” She grabbed another brownie out of Annie’s bag, opening her mouth to eat it, before she froze. “ _ Rio _ . What is he doing here?” 

She caught sight of him milling through the throngs of parents and children as they snatched up baskets full of baked goods in the cafeteria. He was dressed in one of his usual black button ups, the collar resting at the middle of his neck tat. There was no way in Beth’s mind that he could blend in and yet no one seemed to be aware of his presence. Baked goods were more important. 

“Bet he’s here to get some of your  _ dessert _ .” Annie quipped, sinking back in her chair and crossing her arms. 

“ _ Gross _ .” Beth made a face. “We’re at school.” 

“And I made a  _ baby _ at school.” Annie countered. “People get funky everywhere.” 

Beth locked eyes with Rio across the cafeteria. He looked  _ good _ , but she pushed that thought out of her mind. “He can’t be here. Dean is here.” 

“The bake sale’s open to the public.” Annie shrugged. “Come on, you’ve been having dinner with him in public. With your children. Do you not think Dean is a little suspicious?”

“I know he’s  _ very  _ suspicious.” Beth tucked her hair behind her ear. “A couple weeks back Rio’s guys saw him at the FBI office. He didn’t go in… but it’s only a matter of time.” She looked to Annie then. “Part of the public angle is to keep it all above board. Not intentionally, but it’s working in our favor. If Agent Turner sees us out, we look like two single parents trying to make it work. It’s a good cover.”

“We both know it’s not just a cover.” Annie pulled the brownies away from Beth when she went for another. “Liars don’t get brownies.”

“It’s not a lie.” Beth rolled her eyes. “It just worked out in our favor.” She narrowed her eyes at Annie and snatched the bag of brownies from her. 

She caught someone approaching out of the corner of her eye and stiffened. It was Dean. Of course it was. 

“Why is  _ he _ here?” Dean questioned, his hands curled into fists at his sides. 

“Who?” Beth played dumb, even though she could see Rio chatting with one of the PTA moms about what she was selling. 

“The man who  _ shot _ me.” Dean gritted out. 

“I’m sensing a lot of rage right here, Deansy.” Annie said as she circled her hand around Dean. 

“It’s a public fundraiser.” Beth said flatly. “Maybe he saw a flier.” She caught Rio’s gaze and Dean followed it. 

“Is this the  _ friend  _ you’ve been spending time with?” Dean accused, crossing his arms across his chest. “You’ve been bringing that monster around our children?”

Beth glared at Dean. “Can we not do this right now?”

“No, we’re doing this right now.” Dean snapped. “Are you sleeping with him?”

“ _ No _ .” Beth lied. While she was an excellent liar, she was well aware that her cheeks and chest were flaming red now. 

“You  _ are _ ! This is  _ rich _ , Bethie. You kick me out of my house-“

“I own it.”

“You watch me get shot in  _ my _ house.” Dean leaned over the table, “And now you’re fucking the guy?”

Beth shook her head. “I’m not doing this.” She started to stand up—

“Sit down.” Dean snapped and Beth recoiled back into her seat. 

“Hey, don’t talk to her like that.” Annie reached over and squeezed Beth’s arm. 

“We got a problem here?” Rio questioned as he approached the table, staring at Dean in a look that said he could kill him dead. 

“No. I can handle it.” Beth said quickly, giving him a look that she was certain said she wasn’t sure she could handle it. 

“Get out of here.” Dean gritted out. “You don’t belong here.”

Rio didn’t budge. “That’s funny.” 

“I’m trying to have a conversation with my  _ wife _ .” Dean held up his hand to silence Rio, which went about as well as anyone could imagine. 

“I won’t miss next time.” Rio threatened. “That was a warning shot, buddy.”

Dean laughed, “I’m not afraid of you.”

Beth looked between the two men. “We’re not doing this here. I’m not doing this here. I have cookies to check on.” She brushed past Dean, only to have him grab her arm and jerk her back. “Let go of me.”

“Not until you answer some questions.”

“The lady said to let her go.” Rio hissed out. 

“Shut up.”

Beth fixed Dean with a furious look, wrenching her arm out of his hold. “You’re making a scene.” 

Annie clapped her hands together and slowly stood up. “Why don’t you guys just move this conversation to the hallway. I’ll keep minding everything, Beth.”

Beth glanced back at her sister. “Make sure you check on the phone bank. We do good with the grandparents calling in.”

“Can do.” Annie mocked a salute, before glaring at Dean. “Touch a hair on her head…”

“Don’t be stupid.” Dean snapped at her, before grabbing Beth by the arm again. “Come on honey, let’s go talk.”

Rio started to follow, but Beth stopped him. “Stay with Annie.” She jerked her arm out of Dean’s grip. “I can walk by myself, thanks.”

Dean waited until they were in the hallway and out of earshot, to start yelling at her. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Do you think this is some sort of game? That bastard shot me! He almost killed me.”

“You didn’t die.” Beth said as she crossed her arms across her chest. 

“I was shot in the fucking chest, Beth.” Dean tried to puff himself up, make himself seem bigger, but it just made Beth roll her eyes. “Just tell me what he’s doing here.” 

Beth threw up her hands. “I don’t know Dean. I honestly do not know why he’s here. It’s a public bake sale. I cannot control who shows up at these things.” It wasn’t a lie. Rio hadn’t mentioned that he’d come by the bake sale and she had just seen him yesterday. “Can I please get back in there and do my job?”

“You said you weren’t seeing him anymore.” Dean wasn’t about to let this go. “Bethie, why are you doing this?”

“Because I  _ can _ .” Beth narrowed her eyes at him. “You don’t get to control what I do anymore, Dean. I don’t have to be at your beck and call. I don’t have to be there for breakfasts and dinners. Do you understand this?”

“We’re  _ still _ married.” 

“And you’re living with your parents and I have a house, Dean.” Beth crossed her arms across her chest. “The only reason we’re still married is because you won’t sign the fucking papers.” 

Dean laughed bitterly. “You should be happy that we’re still married. You can’t testify against the person you’re married to. When all of this blows up on you...  who do you think they’re going to want to question?” 

Beth tensed. “Nothing is going to blow up.” 

“I know about the money, Bethie.  _ Remember _ ? And I know that you’re still in cahoots with the man who tried to murder me.” He took a step towards her and Beth stepped backwards. “None of this looks good for you, if you’re trying to keep the kids.”

Beth looked away from him then. “Why are you doing this? 

“Because I want to move back into the house.” Dean said firmly. “I want to see my kids every day, not whenever you arrange for them to come over.”

“That’s not happening.” Beth shook her head. “The house is  _ mine _ and I don’t want you in it.” She knew she had to handle this. If Rio caught wind of what Dean was trying to do, she had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn’t miss this time. “Would you do that to the kids? Would you try to get their mother sent to jail? You couldn’t take care of them every single day by yourself. You’d fold under the pressure. Think about our children. Think about what’s best for them.” 

Dean took another threatening step towards her. “I don’t want him around the children.” 

Beth shrugged, trying to seem at ease with the way he was leering over her. “Our children are friends.” 

“That monster has  _ children _ ?” Dean raked his hand over his face. “And you let him around our children, after what he did to me?” 

“It’s complicated.” 

“It’s complicated? What a fucking joke.” He curled his hands into fists again and Beth thought, for just a fraction of a second, that he might just take a swing at her. But he didn’t. He retreated, putting distance between them. “I don’t even know you anymore.” 

Beth let out an incredulous laugh, “I haven’t known you for years. So let’s stay strangers.” 

“You’re making a mistake Bethie. A big, fucking mistake.” Dean snapped as she started towards the cafeteria. 

Beth stopped in the doorway, looking back over her shoulder at him. “The biggest mistake I made was marrying you.” She held his gaze for a beat, before she headed back into the cafeteria, heading straight back to the table where Annie and Rio were ensconced in conversation. 

“How did  _ that _ go?” Annie questioned, her brows rising upwards. 

Rio rested his elbow on the table, propping his chin up on his palm as he looked up at her. “Need me to take care of anything?” 

Beth shook her head. “It’s fine. It’s just Dean being Dean.” She met Rio’s gaze and frowned a little. “Don’t get any ideas. Promise?”

He sniffed and rolled his shoulders. “Whatever you want mama.” Rio reached out and rested his hand over hers where she had it pressed against the top of the table. It was a brief touch, but enough to make her skin tingle. 

“Why did you come here today?” 

“I was in the neighborhood.” Rio shrugged, his jaw was clenched tightly. 

“I told you Dean would be here.” Beth rubbed at her temples with an exaggerated sigh. “Did you  _ want _ to start something with him? Is that why you’re here?”

Rio chuckled. “Nah. I just wanted to see you in action. Being a boss bitch.” He raked his eyes over her hotly and Beth had to ignore the way it made her feel. She was supposed to be  _ annoyed _ with him. 

“I was handling things.” Beth pressed her lips together, trying to keep a passive expression on her face. 

“Were you?” He cocked his head to the side. 

“I  _ was _ , but now he’s trying to force my hand.” Beth gritted out. “He wants to move back into the house.” 

“Oh, that’s bullshit.” Annie gagged. 

Beth shot her a look. “Can you give us a minute?” 

“I actually just heard my name…” Annie lied as she grabbed her bag of brownies and left. 

Beth moved around the table to sit down beside Rio, her arms crossed across her chest. “He wants to move back in… I told him no.”

Rio pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek, keeping his eyes trained forward. “Why’s he want to move back?” 

“Because he thinks I’m fucking you and I guess that keeps him up at night.” Beth retorted snidely. “Not to mention, he still won’t sign the divorce papers and now he’s holding that over my head. He used that stupid rule about not letting spouses testify against each other, as a reason to stay married.” 

Rio placed his hand on her leg and squeezed it gently. “You gotta handle it.” 

“Or you will?”

“He don’t respect you, Elizabeth.” Rio arched a brow. “He was pushin’ his luck manhandling you.” 

Beth briefly rested her hand over his, “I appreciate your desire to kill my  _ ex- _ husband, but it’s not worth your time. He’s not going to do anything. He can huff and puff, but at the end of the day… He won’t do it.” 

“Just one punch?” Rio teased lightly. “The way he spoke to you made my blood boil.” 

Beth sank back against the chair. “Don’t make it worse than it already is, Rio. I’ve got it under control.”

“Alright.” He pursed his lips and nodded his head slowly. “You’ve got it.” Rio rose slowly, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “We still good?”

Beth looked up at him with a warm smile. “Of course we are.” 

“Drinks tonight?”

“I’ll be done here close to six. Meet you at the bar at sevenish?” Beth suggested as she glanced at her laptop. “Hopefully I’ll come bearing good news.”

Rio flashed her a fleeting smile, before looking around the cafeteria. “Think I’m gonna head out.”

Beth chewed on her bottom lip. “Let me get Annie back over here and I’ll walk out with you.” She grabbed her phone from her pocket and sent Annie a quick text about manning the table. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Beth questioned as she studied Rio’s pensive expression. There was something off about him. 

He shrugged, “Yea. It’s all good.”

“That’s not very reassuring.” Beth sighed. “Will you tell me what’s wrong?”

“Not here.” Rio fixed her with a look.

Beth’s brows knit together and she looked away from him, catching sight of Annie returning with another bag of brownies. She gave her sister a tight lipped smile. “Come on.” 

Rio didn’t say a word between the table and the cafeteria door. He didn’t say a word as they walked side-by-side down the ridiculously long and quiet hallway of lockers. 

Beth stopped in her tracks. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or is this going to be a silent treatment thing?”

Rio’s shoulders sagged. “I’m just tryin’ to get my thoughts together.” He turned to face her. “This jealous shit don’t look good on me.”

“Is that why you came today? Because Dean was going to be here?” 

He clicked his tongue against his teeth and nodded slowly. “Yea. I ain’t proud of it.” Rio stepped towards her, his fingers brushing over her forehead. “Then he had to go and call you his wife.”

Beth felt a shiver run down her spine, “That’s only on paper.” She rested her palms against his chest as she stepped closer to him. “Don’t let it get under your skin.”

“Well it did.” Rio flexed his jaw. “How’d we ever think this thing was gonna just be casual?”

“I don’t know. We underestimated it.” Beth cupped his cheek and leaned in to kiss him. “But I’m on the job right now.” She whispered against his lips. “So stop distracting me.”

Rio ran his hand down her back, keeping her close to him. “You sure I can’t beat him up?”

Beth laughed, pressing her face into the crook of his neck as she curled her arms around him. “It’s not worth the trouble.” 

He held her tightly. “If he lays one hand on you…”

“I know how to pull the trigger.” Beth said gravely, pulling back to look at him. “I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

Rio nodded his head, leaning in to press one more kiss to her lips. “Love ya.” He mumbled against her lips, his eyes holding hers as he pulled back from the kiss. 

Her breath caught in the back of her throat. He had tried to make it as casual as possible, but she could see in his eyes, just how serious it was for him. “I love you too.” Beth told him with a warm smile. 

Rio let his fingers linger on her cheek, before he turned and headed for the front of the school. She was left standing in the middle of the hallway, her ears ringing, her skin hot with a flush, and her heart pounding a mile per minute. Rio had said it. He had really said it. 

* * *

  


Beth hadn’t been able to tell Annie about what Rio had said. Had he meant it? Like  _ really  _ meant it? Or was it just some mutual affection between friends? She didn’t truly know where they stood. They’d been careful over the past month to keep things casual, easy… but still they’d managed to be intense and all-encompassing. She had never felt that drawn to another person before. It was overwhelming. 

She smoothed her hands over her dress as she sank back against the seat in the Uber, her eyes fixed on her phone as she watched the route close in closer and closer to the bar. Rio would be waiting for her. She was running late and he’d already let her know he was standing outside. 

Being  _ in love _ with Rio changed everything. The dynamic was already messy, what with him being a gangbanger and technically her boss. Maybe she’d been overthinking it. Maybe she should’ve just said  _ love ya _ back. Had she made it out to be more than it was? Rio didn’t really strike her as the three little words sort of guy. 

She thanked her driver as they reached the bar. Beth quickly paid for the tip on her phone, before pocketing her phone alongside her money and ID in her pocket. She’d been savvy this time — she had a dress with pockets so she didn’t have to carry her purse. 

“Hey there, mama.” Rio drawled out as he met her eyes from where he was leaning against the bar. “You’re late.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Beth said simply as she approached him. “Clean up at the school ran later than I expected.”

“How’d you do?”

“We cleaned it all.” She beamed at him. “And made an additional seven hundred and fifty thousand for the school.”

“ _ Damn _ . I underestimated just how much white suburbia likes their sweets.” He smirked, closing the distance between them and pressing a kiss to her lips. 

Beth curled her hand around the back of his neck. “The fundraiser helps pay the teachers.” She explained, “They defunded their salaries a few years back.” 

“You ever think about how fucked our government is?” Rio questioned, running his hands over her waist and settling them at her hips. “That shit makes no sense to me. The people teachin’ our futures don’t get paid their due.” 

“Right?” Beth shook her head. “I had humored the idea of joining the School Board at one point… but I don’t think I have the record for it anymore.”

Rio frowned, looking down at her hands as he took ahold of them. “You’re doin’ your part fundraising for them.” 

“Did you mean what you said earlier?” Beth blurted out, her eyes searching his face. “It’s  _ fine _ if you didn’t. Serio-” Rio silenced her with a kiss, his mouth slanting hungrily over her mouth. She lost herself momentarily, her fingers curling around the back of his neck, pressing up against him. 

Beth pulled back, “You don’t have to say it again.” 

Rio blinked at her, his lips twisting. “I don’t do feelings, Elizabeth. My line of work… Feelings get in the way.” He shook his head slowly. “But you’ve got under my skin.” 

She could feel the flush spreading over her chest and coloring her cheeks. “You’re  _ very _ subtle about it.” Beth teased lightly. “We should’ve known this wouldn’t stay casual, Rio.”

“I know.” He rolled his shoulders. “It made my blood boil to see the way Dean was treatin’ you this afternoon. To hear him calling you his wife.  _ Bullshit _ .” Rio flexed his jaw. “I shoulda seen it coming. We were goin’ on dates. Doing shit with our kids.” 

Beth chewed on her bottom lip and slowly nodded her head in agreement with what he was saying. “We weren’t really keeping it casual. We were lying to ourselves.” 

“I think you’re stuck with me, baby.” He remarked with a smirk, “But we’ve gotta get you divorced.” Rio rested his hands on her hips. 

“Why?” Beth questioned, her brows furrowing together. 

“Because I don’t do cheatin’.” Rio said with an exaggerated sigh. “And as long as carman’s goin’ around calling you his wife… I feel like the other man.” 

She rolled her eyes. “You’re not though. You’re the only man I want to be with.” Beth assured him, smoothing her hand over his chest. “I meant what I said earlier.” 

“Yea and I meant what I said.” Rio’s Adam’s Apple bobbed. “Let’s go get a drink and dance, baby.” 

“That sounds like a plan to me.” Beth smiled brightly at him and leaned in to kiss him. She let him take her hand, guiding her inside the bar to the place where it all began. 

* * *

After finishing off two bourbon on the rocks, Beth found herself pulling Rio onto the dance floor. It wasn’t even a song that technically called for dancing, but she couldn’t resist. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as they swayed to the distinctly melancholy lyrics of the song. It was Lana Del Rey… Annie had practically worn that CD into dust when it had come out. 

The lyrics seemed almost too perfect for the two of them. She pushed that thought out of her mind as she leaned in to kiss him. This wasn’t the sort of relationship that was made for music, this was the sort of thing you watched on _ Lifetime  _ or  _ Investigation Discovery _ . 

Beth only hoped she could hold onto it for as long as she could. 

**Author's Note:**

> Title is borrowed from Lana Del Rey's "Video Games" which is indeed the song playing at the bar.


End file.
